Hierarchical Spatial Resolution Codec for Bandwidth-Adaptive Immersive Audio
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing audio coding technologies struggle to deliver immersive audio content efficiently over limited bandwidth while maintaining audio quality, as immersive formats like multi-channel audio and ambisonics require higher bandwidth compared to traditional stereo formats.
Innovation Solution
A hierarchical spatial resolution codec that adaptively adjusts the encoding of immersive audio content by prioritizing and encoding higher-quality representations of channels, objects, and higher-order ambisonics based on target bitrate, converting lower-priority elements to lower-quality formats to reduce bandwidth requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If immersive audio formats (multi-channel, ambisonics) are used to provide richer audio content, then audio quality and immersion are improved, but bandwidth requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts the audio encoding format and spatial resolution based on available bandwidth conditions. The codec can switch between different content types (multi-channel audio, audio objects, HOA, stereo) and adjust the number of channels, objects, and HOA order adaptively to match changing bandwidth requirements while maintaining optimal audio quality within those constraints
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes key parameters of the audio representation including the number of channels, number of audio objects, HOA order, and spatial resolution levels. By adjusting these parameters based on bandwidth availability, the system delivers the best possible audio quality for each bandwidth condition without unnecessarily consuming bandwidth
2Quantity of substance
If spatial encoding techniques are used to reduce bitrate, then bandwidth requirement is reduced, but spatial resolution deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The audio scene is segmented into multiple content types (multi-channel audio, audio objects, HOA) with different spatial resolution characteristics. The system can selectively encode only high-priority channels and objects at high spatial resolution while converting lower-priority elements to lower-resolution representations, thereby reducing overall bitrate while preserving critical spatial information
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the audio scene are encoded at different spatial resolutions based on their priority. High-priority channels and objects maintain high spatial resolution, while low-priority elements are converted to lower-resolution formats. This local quality differentiation reduces total bandwidth consumption while maintaining perceptually important spatial details
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a hierarchical spatial resolution codec that adaptively adjusts the representations of immersive audio content as the target bandwidth for delivering the audio content changes. The audio content may be represented by an adaptive number of content types such as channels/objects, higher-order ambisonics (HOA), and encoded by adaptive spatial coding techniques to support the target bitrate of a transmission channel or user. Adaptive spatial coding techniques may include adaptive channel/object spatial encoding techniques to generate an adaptive number of channels/objects, and adaptive HOA spatial encoding or HOA compression techniques to generate an adaptive order of the HOA. The adaptation may be a function of the target bitrate that is associated with a desired quality, and an analysis that determines the priority of the channels, objects, and HOA. High priority channels/objects may be encoded into a high quality bit-stream while low priority channels/objects may be converted and encoded as HOA.